Tiny houses are getting bigger and bigger, not in terms of size as that wouldn’t make sense. They are the latest living sensation that’s taking the nation; you can scarcely read a home magazine or blog without stumbling upon an article about these cute abodes. Though living in a space less than 600 square feet comes with a series of unique challenges. Before you commit to this environmentally friendly living style, there are a couple of incredibly important things you need to know.
It’s Not for Everyone
It is a massive shock to the system to come from a multiroom house or apartment and find that you are now living in a space functionally the size of a college dorm room. Odds are, you have more things than your new tiny house will have room for; so before you donate all of your belongings to charity and decide to live the tiny house style get a self-storage unit, there is nothing so bad as buyer’s remorse after having given away most of your worldly possessions. Hold on to your stuff for a few months after the move to make sure that this lifestyle is right for you. That way if you find you just can’t take it, it’s an easy transition back.
Creative Storage Solutions
Everything in a tiny house needs to answer one simple question: where will this go? When it comes to the tiny house living, furniture, walls, and even doors need to pull double duty as storage units as well. As much as you can pare down the stuff in your home. Get an ottoman that can store magazines or movies; consider some floating shelves along the walls; get some over the door storage solutions. Don’t be afraid to use things unconventionally, maximizing the usable space is the key to successful tiny house living.
What Do You Need
This is the first question that you should ask, it is so critically important to not just this but any move: what do you need? Do you like to entertain large numbers of people at once? That’s possible but will require special advanced planning in your new tiny home; having extended house guests might not be feasible in a tiny home that has at most one double bed and a couch – if it can fit. On the plus side, if your home is situated in or near a grassy area, you can easily make any house party into a garden party. Figure out which of modern life’s necessities are critical to you so you can build not only the perfect tiny house but find the best place for it.
What are Your Cities Building Ordinances?
Not all cities are accommodating to tiny house living, what are the rules for having a tiny house. That means checking with the city planner, and potentially the fire marshal to be sure that your tiny home doesn’t become a massive hassle. Some cities don’t allow tiny homes to be built on either wheels or a foundation, so be sure that you are doing things in-line with what is allowed where you plan on living.
Drop Down Furniture Solutions
Murphy beds drop down wall tables, and hideaway TVs. These are the staples of tiny house living. When not in use, they go back into their storage space, giving you just a little more living space. Making your home feel a little bit bigger at time by making certain furniture configurations mean new rooms; this might also serve to ease the transition to tiny house living.
Don’t Forget to Activate the Vertical Space
While your horizontal space is limited to the 600 square feet, you must keep in mind your home has vertical space as well. This might mean having lower head space in the over-head storage areas, but it will allow you to have little nooks and crannies to use for storage or even separate rooms if possible.
Tiny house living comes with several great advantages, not the least of which is it easier to have debt free living and the lessor impact on the environment. That comes at a cost, and it is important to know what it is that you are getting yourself into before fully committing to this lifestyle. It is fulfilling but offers a wide variety of unique challenges that can be difficult to overcome for the unprepared. If at all possible, test this out either in your own home or if you have friends who already have a tiny home, see if you can trade places for a week or so.